NEW YORK -- Verizon and Intel announced that the companies are working together to accelerate the development of the next-generation wireless technology, commonly known as 5G. Verizon has long been committed to leading the way in network innovation and reliability, a goal that echoes Intel's commitment to enabling cutting-edge network technology.

Intel joins the Verizon 5G Technology Forum as one of its core members contributing to 5G requirements, testing and standards.

Intel is developing 5G technology at its 5G Testbed in Oregon, which will be used to contribute to Verizon's 5G sandbox test environments.

Intel is also collaborating with Verizon on network transformation through Verizon's SDN Network Evolution initiative, which will lay the foundation for next generation networks including Verizon's 5G access network.

As part of this effort, Intel has joined the Verizon 5G Technology Forum as one of its core industry partners. Intel will contribute to the development of 5G requirements and standards and conduct testing to optimize end-to-end mobile broadband and Internet of Things (IoT) device architectures and network infrastructure to accelerate the introduction of 5G technology. "The Verizon 5G Technology Forum is perfectly timed to harness technical innovation across our partners and collaborate towards rapid definition and advancement of 5G technologies," said Adam Koeppe, Vice President of Technology Planning, Verizon. "We are preparing to usher in a new era of throughput, capacity, and enhanced services and having Intel in the Forum is a great addition."
Intel will begin working in Verizon's 5G sandbox environments in Verizon's San Francisco and Waltham, MA Innovation Centers. Intel is also developing its own 5G test beds in Oregon, California and other locations, and is continuing its work on mobile broadband and IoT 5G devices, mm-wave dual connectivity technology, virtualized radio access network (RAN) elements supporting massive multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO), ultra-low latency response, high frequency small cells, and mobile edge computing.

As Verizon and Intel collaborate on 5G, the companies are also partnering on broader network transformation initiatives that will help Verizon optimize its current industry-leading network and enable next-generation network architecture.

"Intel's expertise in computing from the device to the network to the data center and Verizon's strong network technology allow the two companies to bring a unique perspective to 5G as computing and communications converge," said Aicha Evans, Vice President and General Manager of the Communication and Devices Group at Intel. "Together the two companies will lay the foundation for the next generation networks to achieve the 5G deployment goals."

Intel is also working with Verizon on SDN Network Evolution to achieve business and technical benefits of a network built with virtualization and cloud computing.